


Beauty in Bedlam

by fanshae



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Harry is a very bad vampire, Liam is forever suffering, Louis is skeptical, M/M, Niall is sneaky, Vampire AU, Vampire Harry, this was only suppposed to be 5k what happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 13:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7575262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanshae/pseuds/fanshae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re not a vampire,” Louis scoffs. He’s never seen anyone less vampire-like in his life. The man is wearing gold boots for christ’s sake. Sparkly gold boots. </p><p>“Louis,” Liam hisses, looking mortified.</p><p>“What?” Louis asks, affronted. “He can’t be a vampire! He’s...dimpling!” Curly-apparently-Harry the vampire wannabe is indeed dimpling and looking entirely too amused for Louis’ liking.</p><p>“Vampires aren’t allowed to have dimples?” Harry asks, bemused.</p><p>“The dimples are just the first thing on the list, mate,” Louis assures him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beauty in Bedlam

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arthur_Autumn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arthur_Autumn/gifts).



It had taken surprisingly little for Vampires to be unveiled to the world. Honestly, when Louis thought about it, he was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. Thanks to smartphones, literally everyone and their grandmother had a video camera at the touch of a button.

 

All it had taken in the end, was a single video that went viral. As far as videos go, it had been pretty unremarkable. Except for the part of the video where the camera had zoomed in for a close up of the vampire’s fangs sliding down out of her mouth, it had looked like an average video of an average person in an average living room taken by an average iPhone.

 

Louis remembers watching it and being unimpressed with the shaky camera work and unprofessional lighting. Niall had been equally unimpressed with Louis.

 

“You watch a video of an honest to god vampire and you’re criticizing the filming technique?”

 

Louis had sniffed, “I can’t help that I’ve got my priorities in order Niall, I suggest you do the same.” He’d had to duck when Niall tossed his phone at Louis’ head.

 

In the end, it had been a little raw and too honest to be ignored completely. It caused a flood of other vampire videos, some obviously fake and some… a little too real for comfort. The videos sparked paranoia in some and fear in others, leading to a witch (er, vampire) hunt that the world hadn’t seen the likes of since the Salem witch trials.

 

Louis remembers the anxiety of those weeks, constantly looking over your shoulder not only for vampires, but people who might think you were a vampire yourself. People were being followed home, beaten, and in a few extreme cases: staked, though not fatally. The first reported death due to a vampire hunt happened in America. Someone was literally burned at the stake in the parking lot of a church somewhere along the bible belt.

 

The burning had been the last push that the vampire council had needed apparently because hours after the news had hit about the burning, they had released a statement to what seemed like every single news outlet in the world, in more languages than Louis had even known existed. The message was clear: “We will reveal ourselves if you stop looking. You won’t find us otherwise, and you’re only hurting yourselves trying.”

 

People were initially dismissive, thinking that someone was taking advantage of the hysteria to pull some sort of practical joke. But as more pictures started showing up of pale figures meeting with world leader after world leader, it became abundantly clear that not only were vampires real, but that they seemed to be intimately tied into nearly every country’s political infrastructure.

 

Louis’ initial dismissiveness turned to fascination. All at once, it seemed like vampires were everywhere you looked. Celebrities and politicians alike were “coming out of the casket”. Fashion trends took a sharp turn towards Goth territory. The surge of vampire themed media that Twilight had inspired paled in comparison as vampires became more and more of an every day fixture.

 

When BBC assigned Louis and Niall to start making a documentary on the recently revealed vampires, they had jumped at the opportunity.

 

“Payno!” Louis crows as he bursts into Liam’s office, making Liam jump and knock his knee soundly on the underside of his desk. Niall, who’s only a step behind Louis has to stifle a laugh with the back of his hand. Louis’ been friends with the BBC producer for several years now and you’d think that he’d be used to Louis and his grand entrances.

 

“Louis,” Liam greets grudgingly before offering Niall a more genuine smile. “Nialler! Good to see you both. Punctual as ever, I see.” Liam says, making a show of looking at his own watch before raising his eyebrows accusingly at Louis.

 

Louis shrugs unapologetically as he hops up on the edge of Liam’s desk. “Can’t help it if the tube is running late, Leeyum.”

 

Liam scoffs but the corner of his mouth ticks up affectionately. “Can’t be helped then, can it? Now, down to business,” Liam says with an exaggerated sigh, sliding a file that’s been sitting on his desk towards Louis. “We’re having you cover one or two low profile vampires. Character studies if you will. It’s supposed to be a bit of a fluff piece, if I’m honest. Showing how vamps are ‘just like you and me’.” Liam makes air quotes with his fingers and Louis and Niall share a sceptical look over the top of the file.

 

“Now, you’ll be, mmm, debunking I guess, for lack of a better word, common vampire myths. You know, garlic, bats, uh, mirrors,” Liam gestures, one of his arms sweeping over his head in an effort to mime, well, Louis isn’t really sure what if he’s being honest.

 

“Mirrors?” Louis asks, amused, copying Liam’s gesture and making Niall snort sharply. “I’m not sure exactly what you mean by _mirrors_ , Payno but I-.”

 

Louis is interrupted by a soft knock on the door and all three of them turn as one towards the door.

 

Tall and a bit hunched over as if overly aware of the fact, the person knocking on the door blinks in surprise, clearly not expecting to be the sole focus of their combined attention. His hair is long, falling in loose waves to just between his shoulder blades. A few curls seem caught in the collar of his shirt. It’s yellow, of all things, with bright red flowers and it gapes open where the top four buttons have been left undone to expose what look like swallows along his collarbones and the top of a moth. Or a butterfly. Louis can’t really tell from where he’s sitting.

 

The person in the door tucks one foot behind the other nervously, drawing Louis’ attention to his feet. He’s wearing gold _sparkly_ boots. Louis can’t take things seriously at the best of times and any chance he originally had of doing just that has flown out the window.

 

“Sorry,” Tall, gold, and curly starts in a deep drawl of a voice that has Louis’ toes tingling. He flexes them in his battered vans and frowns. Louis’ toes aren’t usually prone to tingling and he’s not sure he likes it. “I was told that this was Liam Payne’s office and-.”

 

“Bit busy, mate,” Louis interrupts. “Maybe you can come back later, yeah?”

 

Curly ducks his head apologetically, “Right, sorry. Of course. I’ll just that then.”

 

“Wait! Harry, right? Sorry, don’t mind Louis here,” Liam ignores Louis’ affronted noises and hurries around his desk to greet Curly-apparently-Harry. “I’m Liam and this is my office. You’ve met Louis, our documenter and this is Niall, his camera man. Lads, this is Harry Styles, one of our vampires!” Liam beams, seeming quite pleased with himself.

 

“You’re not a vampire,” Louis scoffs. He’s never seen anyone less vampire-like in his life. The man is wearing gold boots for christ’s sake. _Sparkly_ gold boots.

 

“ _Louis,”_ Liam hisses, looking mortified.

 

“What?” Louis asks, affronted. “He can’t be a vampire! He’s...dimpling!” Curly-apparently-Harry the vampire wannabe is indeed dimpling and looking entirely too amused for Louis’ liking.

 

“Vampires aren’t allowed to have dimples?” Harry asks, bemused.

 

“The dimples are just the first thing on the list, mate,” Louis assures him. He scowls when Harry bursts into laughter.

 

“I like him,” Harry tells Liam. Niall snorts and offers a still scowling Louis a comforting pat on the shoulder.

 

“Well that’s good, I guess,” Liam says hesitantly, “Considering you’re going to be working together. Louis, do me a favor and set up a time for you three to work together. And read the file I’ve put together for you for once!”

 

“You’re the boss,” Louis agrees, not intending for a single second to read the file that he sweeps into his bag before sliding off of Liam’s desk. He tried to read one of Liam’s files once but Liam has a talent for turning even the most interesting of subjects into dry, dense reading that puts Louis right to sleep. The only reason he ever keeps them is for when he suffers from the occasional bout of insomnia.

 

“I’ll make sure he reads it, mate,” Niall reassures Liam as he ushers Louis out of Liam’s office while Harry trails behind them.

 

“Bye Liam, nice to meet you!” Harry chirps before falling into step with Niall and Louis.

 

“Listen Harold-,” Louis says.

 

“It’s Harry, actually,” Harry says.

 

“ _Harold_ ,” Louis continues, walking at a brisk pace that Harry’s long legs irritatingly don’t even seem to notice, “I’m not sure exactly how you’ve conned poor Liam into thinking you’re a vampire, much less the one that we need for this documentary so I really think it’s best that you-.”

 

“I am a vampire though!” Harry insists, “See?” He opens his mouth and hooks his fingers in the corners of his lips so that Louis and Niall have no problem seeing his feeding fangs slide down out of his gums to cover his canines. Their progress down the hall grinds to a halt and Louis can’t help gaping a little at the sight. It’s not his fault that it’s the first time he’s seen fangs up close and personal.

 

Niall breaks the awkward silence by clearing his throat and giving Harry a slap on the back, “Well, good enough for me, mate. Glad to have you.”

 

“Glah tah be heh,” Harry lisps before pulling his fingers out of his mouth.

 

Louis shuts his still gaping mouth shut sharply and flushes. “So, when did you say you were free?” He asks weakly.

 

Harry beams, “How does this Thursday work for you?”

 

* * *

 

_Shot opens with Louis knocking on an unassuming apartment door with the number 28 on it. He’s wearing a red tshirt with the sleeve cuffs rolled up to expose his biceps and form fitting jeans._

 

_The door opens after Louis has knocked twice to reveal Harry who’s hair is swept back by some sort of headscarf. He’s wearing an oversized jumper and skinny jeans. His feet are conspicuously bare._

 

_“Aren’t you going to invite us in, Harold?” Louis asks._

 

_Harry laughs and leans against the door jam, flicking his eyes from Louis to the camera._

_“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”_

 

_“I don’t know mate. Pretty sure the point of all this is for you to tell me,” Louis says._

 

 _Harry rolls his eyes and tucks a stray curl that’s escaped his headscarf behind his ear. “No, actually. Vampires don’t_ have _to be invited in but I really do think it’s only polite to wait, don’t you?”_

 

_Louis raises an eyebrow at Harry expectantly and Harry steps out of the doorway with an exaggerated sigh, despite the corners of his mouth tugging up._

 

_Harry sighs, almost fondly. “Come in, Louis, before you upset the neighbors.”_

 

_The camera shakes a little as it captures Louis’ scowl and you can hear Niall’s stifled laughter in the background._

 

* * *

 

 

“So what shall we do first? I’ve got a list you know,” Louis says and brandishes said list. He’d actually pawed through the file that Liam had left him at Niall’s insistence and the extensive list of myths and legends about vampires that he was supposed to address had been sitting right on top.

 

“Oh, well, by all means,” Harry says, “What’s on this list then?”

 

“Can’t tell you,” Louis says childishly as he pokes through one of Harry’s bookcases. Much like Harry himself, Harry’s flat isn’t what one would expect of a vampire. Most of the windows are only covered by a thin, gauzy curtain, leaving the apartment feeling light and open. The furniture is cheerfully mismatched and lovingly worn down. Probably the most out of place detail is the sheer amount of knick knacks spilling from Harry’s shelves, over his mantel, and onto nearly every other flat surface in his flat.

 

Mixed in with the kitschy souvenirs are older, obviously more valuable items. Half covered by an open book on the coffee table is what looks like an old six shot pistol. Resting on top of a bookcase is some sort of tiara and hiding behind a collection of fading postcards is a heavily jeweled egg.

 

The mismatched snowglobes, figurines, rocks, beads, statues, and twisted bits of sculpture are completely incongruous with the stereotypical doom and gloom vampire image.Louis adds another mental tally to his running list of evidence that Harry isn’t the vampire he claims to be, fangs or no fangs.

 

“Louis,” Niall says, exasperated and Louis guiltily sets down the shot glass he’d been examining from Penasco, Mexico that has a urinating monkey dangling off the side of it.

 

“Yeah, alright. Let’s start in the bedroom,” Louis says, throwing a bemused Harry a wink. “Lead the way, Harold.”

 

Harry laughs but obligingly leads both Louis and Niall down the hall towards his bedroom. “Don’t you think we’re moving a little fast?”

 

“He’s moved faster,” Niall quips helpfully and grunts in pain when Louis stomps on his foot. Not that he cares if Harry knows that he’s a bit of a slag, really, but Niall could at least maintain a semblance of professionalism.

 

“Nevermind that,” Louis says quickly, “I want to see your coffin.”

 

Harry pauses with his hand on the doorknob to his bedroom and smirks, “You’re going to be so disappointed. Mind the cat,” he murmurs as he pushes the door open.

 

“Cat?” Louis starts to ask only to nearly be knocked off his feet by a blur of orange that disappears into the living room.

 

“You mean that cat?” Niall asks helpfully.

 

“That wasn’t a cat!” Louis insists as he pushes past Harry and into his bedroom, “It was some sort of furry, heat seaking missile. What if I’ve been permanently damaged?”

 

“If?” Niall mutters as he pans the camera on his shoulder around the room which, like the rest of the house, is almost disappointingly normal. Taking up most of the space is a large, four poster bed that’s been left unmade. The floor has a few pieces of clothes that it looks like Harry has kicked off and then left. The bedside table has another book that’s also face down so Harry, presumably, doesn’t lose his place.

 

Louis steps further into the room to get a better look at the book on Harry’s bedside table and gets distracted when he catches his own reflection in the mirror hanging from Harry’s closet door.

 

“Harry, what’s the point of having a mirror in your bedroom if you can’t even see your own reflection?” Louis asks, turning to look over his shoulder at Harry only to jump in surprise when he realizes the vampire is standing right next to him.

 

“Who says I can’t see my own reflection?” Harry asks and gives a little wave towards the mirror. Behind Harry’s reflection, Louis can see Niall grinning and giving a wave of his own back.

 

Louis huffs and bites back a smile, “You know, for someone so concerned about manners you’re awful contradictory to your guests.”

 

Harry gasps exaggeratedly and makes a show of looking around, “If I had guests you should’ve said so! And here I’ve been wasting my time on you lot.”

 

Niall snorts and seems completely uncowed by the glare Louis levels at him. Harry beams, pleased at having gotten a laugh out of Niall at least. He nudges Louis gently with his shoulder.

 

“If I make tea, do you think you could possibly overlook my horrible rudeness?”

 

Louis makes a show of biting his lip before nodding, a smile of his own breaking over his face, “I think I could manage that, yeah.”

 

Harry’s slow answering smile warms Louis more thoroughly than the tea Harry hands him once they’ve all settled back in his living room. Harry is curled up in an overstuffed arm chair, bare feet tucked under himself. Niall and Louis are set on the couch across from him. Niall balancing his tea in one hand and his camera in the other as he fiddles with the settings and Louis carefully wrapping both of his hands protectively around his own cup.

 

Once Niall’s finally managed to get the camera just right, Louis finally starts in on some of the questions he’s prepared. Contrary to popular belief, he does actually know how to do his job and the interview flows easily.

 

He manages to tick a few myths off of Liam’s list. While vampire’s aren’t repelled by silver, they do tend to be more susceptible to metal allergies for whatever reason. Harry admits that this is one of the reasons he only has tattoos and no piercings.

 

When Louis asks about crosses and religious paraphernalia Harry bursts out laughing and proudly shows off a small cross necklace that had been tucked under his jumper as well as the cross tattoo that sits below his thumb on his left hand.

 

It’s easy for Louis to forget that he’s interviewing Harry instead of just having a conversation with him when his whole face is lit up with enthusiasm over his jumped assortment of knick knacks. His hair is starting to fall out of its headscarf and his jumper is stretched tight across his broad shoulders and loose around his waist and Louis is maybe losing it just a little bit over how vulnerable Harry’s bare toes look where they’re tucked under his own legs.

 

Louis clears his throat sharply when he realizes he’s been staring at Harry’s feet instead of his face and nervously rearranges his notes over his lap.

 

“And remind me again how old you are, Harold?”

 

Harry grins and ducks his chin against his chest, “Twenty two.”

 

Louis scowls playfully, “At the risk of sounding like a bad Twilight knock off, how long have you been twenty two?”

 

Harry guffaws loudly, scrunching his nose with the force of his laughter. “Ah, about a hundred years or so. I was only turned in the summer of 1902.”

 

“Only. You’re practically a spring chicken,” Louis teases. “How does one get turned into a vampire, anyway? I’m asking for a friend, of course.”

 

“Of course,” Harry murmurs, eyes sparkling. “Well, when a mommy vampire loves a daddy vampire very much…”

 

Louis groans and tosses a small stuffed bear with a t-shirt that says “I <3 NY” at Harry. “Seriously though.”

 

“Alright, alright. Seriously,” Harry agrees, raising his hand placatingly. “It’s a bit of a process, to be honest. There’s a lot of rules set by the Council that determines who can get turned and who can do the, er, turning. And no one can be turned without their consent, obviously.”

 

“Obviously,” Louis agrees, quirking an eyebrow at Harry.

 

Harry laughs, “And then once you have their consent, the vampire, you know, feeds off of the person being turned and then the human also, um, feeds on the vampire and it like, activates this protein, I think, in the vampire’s saliva and it changes...things? In the human. I’m not sure, to be honest, I wasn’t listening when it was explained to me,” Harry admits.

 

“You do talk some shit in interviews, don’t you,” Louis teases, secretly pleased at Harry’s exaggerated little huff. “About this feeding thing, though. What exactly does that look like?”

 

Harry’s eyebrows furrow as he steeples his fingers over his lap, “I mean, it’s kind of like what people have seen in Hollywood, a bit, I mean- Oh, hello there, pretty girl,” Harry coos, immediately distracted by the cat that hops into his lap and starts purring, completely disregarding the fact that her owner is in the middle of filming a documentary.

 

“Are you sure you’re supposed to be some sort of apex predator?” Louis asks, amused.

 

“Or something,” Harry agrees. “Grrr,” He growls at his cat who, instead of being put off, seems to take this as a sign of affection and ratchets up the force of her purring.

 

Louis softens, melting a bit as Harry continues to coo and rub under his cat’s chin. His soft smile morphs into an indignant scowl when he realizes that, at some point, Niall has turned the camera on him instead of keeping it on Harry.

 

“Right, I think that’s enough for today,” Louis announces briskly, brushing off his trousers as he stands and startling the cat enough to send it darting under Harry’s chair. He smiles apologetically. “Same time tomorrow, then?”

 

* * *

  


_Harry is hunched over a table at a mostly abandoned coffee shop. His table is pressed up against a dark window and light occasionally slants across his face as a car passes on the street outside the cafe. The camera pans over a table showing an untouched cup of tea and open journal that Harry is writing in. His handwriting is a slanted, untidy script that the camera moves over too quickly to read._

 

_Harry looks out the darkened window before looking at the reflection of Louis holding a camera. He smiles, first at the reflection and then turns to smile over his shoulder and directly up at Louis._

 

_“Enquiring minds want to know, Hazza. Can vampires really turn into bats?”_

 

_Harry scoffs and the camera view shakes slightly. You can see Louis switching the camera from his right hand to his left in the window reflection. His hand appears from the bottom of the frame and he picks up Harry’s abandoned cup of tea before disappearing out of frame again._

 

_Harry pouts. “No, Louis.”_

 

_“Mist, then. That’s a popular one, innit?”_

 

_Harry laughs and shakes his head almost apologetically._

 

_“Even vampires have to obey the laws of physics.”_

 

* * *

 

Usually when Louis is working with a person or a group of people on a documentary, they meet a set number of times at a set number of places and, more often than not, cover a set amount of material.

 

With Harry, Louis finds himself breaking that pattern. He interviews Harry with Niall and his big camera and on his own with his little hand held. They go out, to flea markets, coffee shops, and the grocery store. They stay in and bicker over the correct way to make tea and which season of Friends is the best.

 

Louis ends up with hours of footage of Harry that he’s sure will never make it into the final cut of the documentary. At some point, he doesn’t remember exactly when, he’d filmed a close up of Harry carefully removing every ring from his fingers. Louis has film of Harry sprawled on the floor playing with his cat and he has film of Harry making faces at Louis. He even has film of Harry meticulously dusting his collection of knick knacks.

 

Louis isn’t ready to admit it, not to anyone besides himself anyway, but he may have a bit of a crush on Harry. Just a small one though and it’s _fine_ , really. He’s handling it.

 

It’s definitely the cause of the ridiculously soppy expression on his face though when Harry attempts a handstand after Louis has goaded him into showing off his “superior vampire strength”.

 

They’re at the park, because Harry had insisted that he wouldn’t burst into flames under direct sunlight and Louis had insisted he prove it. Louis isn’t sure that the excursion validates Harry’s claims when he’s buried himself under a wide brimmed hat, long sleeved button up, jeans, and boots. He might also be wearing sunscreen if the vague wiff of coconut Louis’ been smelling on and off all afternoon is anything to go by but Louis’ hasn’t quite gotten around to calling Harry out on it.

 

Niall has to take a quick step backward to avoid Harry kicking the camera when he falls over after maintaining his handstand for a little over a minute.

 

“More yoga next time, I think,” Louis says, rather helpfully in his opinion as he offers Harry a hand up.

 

“I think you’re right,” Harry sighs as he takes Louis’ hand and levers himself up. He takes a moment to brush himself off before grinning up at Niall and Louis, “I reckon that’s enough for today, yeah? Want to grab a pint?”

 

Niall groans as he packs his camera up, “Wish I could, mate. ‘ve got plans already.”

 

“Oooh,” Harry teases, “Hot date?”

 

Niall laughs and swings his bag onto his shoulder, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

 

“And here I thought I was special,” Harry sniffs, his lips visibly twitching with the force of the grin that he’s suppressing.

 

“Whatever you have to tell yourself, Haz,” Niall says and gives them both a two fingered wave as he starts across the park towards the nearest tube station.

 

“At least I know you’ll never leave me,” Harry sighs dramatically as he twines his arm through Louis’.

 

Louis’ breath hitches and he idly wonders if enhanced senses are one of the few things that the myths were right about when it came to vampires, if Harry can hear the way Louis’ heart kicks in his chest at his words.

 

“Never,” Louis says thickly before squeezing Harry’s arm. “Now, about that pint.”

 

* * *

 

 

_The shot opens to a close up of Louis squinting into the camera. It focuses and then refocuses before Louis sets it down on the table he and Harry are sitting at so they’re both in the frame. You can hear the quiet hubbub of a pub in the background._

 

_“You know, you never did tell me how or, well, why you have all those souvenirs.”_

 

_Harry licks the foam from his beer off of his upper lip and hums, “Just, you know, when I want to remember something or someone. As you get older it all kind of…”_

 

_“Runs together?”_

 

_Harry nods. “Hence the tchotchkes. Kind of like a scrapbook of sorts, I suppose.”_

 

_Louis hums and leans out of the frame for a moment. When he comes back into frame he has a pen in hand and scrawls something on one of the unused cardboard coasters at their table before tossing it at Harry._

 

_Harry fumbles it for a second before he manages to grab it securely. He looks up at Louis, confusion written clearly across his face._

 

_“For your collection,” Louis mumbles and hides behind his pint._

 

_Harry’s face softens immediately._

 

_“Oh Lou. As if I could ever forget you…”_

 

* * *

 

“You know, for a vampire you’re quite boring. I mean, I was expecting-”

 

“At least one skeleton in the closet?” Harry asks with a grin and a smug sip of his third pint of the night. Louis isn’t exactly sure _why_ Harry is drinking since he’s already admitted that alcohol doesn’t affect him the same way it does Louis but it hasn’t stopped Harry from matching him drink for drink.

 

Louis groans even as he nods ruefully, “Essentially. And instead I get…” Louis tries to come up with a word that encompasses the head scarves and the tacky collection of knick knacks and orange cat and the propensity for leaving his shirt unbuttoned too far but all he manages is a weak, “...you.”

 

“Is that a bad thing?” Harry asks softly, eyes bright.

 

“No,” Louis says, “I mean, no, Hazza, of course not. Never.”

 

Harry licks his lips slowly and Louis can’t quite help the way his eyes track the movement or the way that his heartbeat kicks up a notch. He feels like Harry can see right through him at that moment, like his crush is a huge neon sign glowing above his head.

 

“Louis, I-”

 

“Harold!” Louis interrupts, quite sure he’s not ready for whatever Harry was about to say, not when he’s looking at Louis so intently. Louis is sure that Harry would let him down gently. Maybe tomorrow he’ll let him but he wants to hold onto the fantasy that he has a chance with Harry for just a little bit longer.

 

“You know what we never talked about? Blood! How have we managed to get so far into a documentary about vampires without talking about blood? I think we should fix that,” He babbles, desperate to distract Harry from whatever he was about to say, “Now.”

 

Harry blinks at Louis in surprise and his face falls before he manages to school his expression into one of complete innocence.

 

“I was hoping you wouldn’t bring it up actually. It’s a bit of a touchy subject,” Harry murmurs.

 

“Sorry is it, um, private?” Louis asks, lowering his voice to match Harry’s secretive tone.

 

Harry sighs, “Not really. It’s just that, well. I’m a vegan.”

 

Louis blinks slowly and then blinks again.

 

“Sorry?”

 

Harry covers his face with his hands and whines. “God, this is embarrassing. I’m a vegan! A vegan vampire! I suck the juices out of vegetables. I haven’t had a drop of blood in years, honestly.”

 

Louis can’t help but gape at Harry who is still covering his face with his hands.

 

“You’re joking,” Louis sputters. It takes him a moment to realize Harry’s shoulders are shaking with laughter. “You _are_ joking! Hazza!”

 

“Your face, Lou!” Harry wheezes as he wipes at his eyes.

 

“Well how was I supposed to know? You certainly look the type,” Louis mutters. “Really though, Harry.”

 

Harry snorts softly before finally getting himself back under control. “Really though? Well, most people I know, most _vampires_ I know go to, um, bleeding bars. They’re a lot more obvious now that most people are out but they’ve always been around if you knew where to look. Vampires that need to feed go there and people that don’t mind being fed on go too and it’s a, erm, mutually beneficial relationship for everyone.”

 

“Easy enough,” Louis says before biting his lip, “Look, I know it wasn’t something you and Liam talked about or even something _we’ve_ talked about but would you, I mean, would you mind if the next time you went, if I could tag along?”

 

Harry sucks in a sharp breath and Louis’ stomach drops. He’s not trying to pry, really, it’s just that for whatever reason he desperately wants to see that part of Harry. He wants to see every part of Harry, but only if Harry wants him to.

 

“With Niall, of course,” Louis blurts, “You know, for the documentary.”

 

Harry’s face goes through a complicated series of emotions before it smooths out like the expressions were never there in the first place.

 

“Of course,” He says, a little stiffly and more formally than he’d been only a moment before. “I’ll just let you know when, shall I?”

 

“Yeah,” Louis says thickly, feeling as though he’s somehow messed something up though he’s not sure what or how. “You do that.”

 

* * *

 

 

_The camera pans over a sidewalk lit only by the light of the street lamps and the headlights of passing cars. It stops on a girl leaning against a brick wall and smoking a cigarette. She’s lit from the side by a flashing neon light that catches on the leather jacket she’s wearing. Her eyes are done in heavy eyeliner and silver rings flash as she flicks the ash off her cigarette._

 

_“If you’re looking for a good vamp, a safe one, you’re out of luck in my opinion. No such thing, right?”_

 

_She exhales the smoke from her cigarette as she talks._

 

_“But if you’re looking for the next best thing, you go to Bedlam. They take care of their bleeders. Just watch yourself, mate, yeah?”_

 

_The girl looks up into the camera and the smudged eyeliner only intensifies her stare._

 

_“They’re always looking for fresh meat.”_

 

* * *

 

 

Niall and Louis had gone earlier that morning to the bleeding bar Harry had told them about to get permission from the staff to film and to scout a good location to do so. In the daylight, it had seemed almost unassuming and a little run down in a modest area of London.

 

Now that they’re back after dark, it’s been transformed. Neon light and the smell of beer have spilled onto the sidewalk with some of Bedlam’s leather studded clientele. Louis feels a bit out of place as he and Niall stand on the sidewalk across the street. As if he’s a sixth former that’s somehow found their way into a Uni party: nervous, out of place, and horribly uncool.

 

Louis’ just starting to wonder if they’ve gotten the place wrong after all when Harry melts out of the shadows. He’s dressed in tight leather pants that look poured on, tucked into an equally intimidating pair of boots that go halfway up his calf. His sheer black shirt is struggling to stay closed with the help of a single button and his hair falls in perfectly curled waves over his shoulders. Louis is drawn up short by the fierce, almost predatory expression on Harry’s face and for the first time since Louis’ met him, he looks like a vampire. This is what Louis had been expecting when he’d signed onto the job but now that it’s standing right in front of him, he can’t help but want the normal Harry back. The feeling of wrongness that’s been dogging him since they got to the club intensifies.

 

A second later, the look falls off of Harry’s face only to be replaced by his usual easy going smile.

 

“You found it!” Harry crows and reaches out to bump Niall’s fist with his own. “How’d your date go, Nialler?”

 

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell,” Niall says with a nervous chuckle. Louis feels a little bit better knowing that he’s not the only one feeling unbalanced. He gives Harry a tentative smile and his heart drops when Harry only returns it for a second.

 

“Louis,” Harry greets him perfunctorily before nodding towards the bar. “Shall we?”

 

“Might as well,” Louis says and turns to stomp towards the entrance. “The sooner we get the footage we need the sooner I can go home.”

 

At the door, Niall and Louis have their hands stamped by the bouncer with a teardrop shape in red ink. Harry’s stamp is a red bat that he cheerfully waves in front of Niall’s camera before turning to walk further into the club.

 

They’re barely past the front door before Harry is swarmed with people who barely spare Louis, Niall, or their camera a single glance. Louis is being irrational, he knows he is, but he can’t help fuming as first one person and then another drapes themselves over Harry.

 

“It’s been too long since I helped you out, don’t you think, Harry?” A stick thin blonde simpers as she runs a sharp, manicured hand down Harry’s arm. He brushes her off with a friendly smile that she seems to accept and a murmur of, “Maybe next time.”

 

Several more people approach Harry and he gently turns them down one by one. For a moment, Louis irrationally hopes that he doesn’t find anyone that he wants to feed from tonight before he realizes that that just means that he’d have to come back. Louis begins to regret coming at all. Niall could have easily come without him.

 

Louis had thought that he had a handle on whatever feelings he had for Harry but he was wrong, he couldn’t have been more wrong if he had tried.

 

While he’s moping, he somehow misses the moment that Harry finds what he’s been looking for but when he looks up again, Harry isn’t pushing away his newest hanger on. Instead, his face is pressed close to the face of a tall, curly haired boy wearing only a pair of obscenely low slung trousers.

 

Harry is murmuring something in the boy’s ear that’s too low for Louis to make out from where he’s standing but whatever it is makes the boy throw back his head in laughter. Louis has to tamp down a scowl.

 

“Matt says he doesn’t mind if you film us,” Harry says.

 

“About time,” Louis huffs, “The sooner we get the footage we need, the sooner we can leave.”

 

He pretends not to notice the unhappy twist of Harry’s mouth as he takes Matt’s hand in his own and leads their misfit group towards a back room. Louis hangs back as Niall sets up his camera and arrange Harry and Matt on the sofa until he’s satisfied.

 

Once Niall gives them the thumbs up, Matt pulls his hair back to one side. Louis can’t help but snidely think that Harry’s curls are much nicer. Matt’s are tighter and on the frizzy side where Harry’s curls are more of a glossy, loose tumble. Not that it matters, he reminds himself firmly, as Matt tips his chin up coquettishly to expose his throat.

 

This is a job, Harry is his friend, and Louis is a professional Louis thinks, a little desperately now that Harry’s fangs have dropped in his mouth in the space of a blink. Harry leans forward, one hand reaching up to cup the side of Matt’s throat as he hovers over him. His eyes flick up to meet Louis’ and Louis’ heart leaps in his chest until Harry looks away just as suddenly and sinks his fangs into Matt’s throat.

 

Louis and Niall both jump in surprise when Matt lets out a loud guttural moan. It’s only the undulation of his body under the push and pull of Harry’s mouth on his neck that reassures Louis that it’s not a sound of pain.

 

He wants to look away when Matt curls into Harry, clutching at him, but he feels frozen to the spot. Watching Harry be so intimate with someone else feels like being punched in the chest. It’s not until Matt moans again that Louis snaps out of it.

 

He’s not sure if Matt said, “Yes, Hazza” or “More, faster” but he doesn’t care to find out.

 

Looking anywhere but at the couple entwined on the sofa, Louis leans in just close enough to whisper to Niall.

 

“I’m not feeling good, I think I’m going to head back early,” Louis mutters softly, not quite meeting Niall’s eyes. He doesn’t want to see the sympathetic, knowing look he can feel his friend making.

 

“Take care of yourself,” Niall mouths back, giving Louis an encouraging thumbs up before waving him off.

 

With Niall’s blessing, Louis slips out as quickly as he can. He looks back before he’s completely out of sight and his breath catches in his chest when he realizes that Harry is looking back. Louis’ step falters and he thinks about turning back, just for a moment. That moment is broken when Matt reaches up to cup Harry’s jaw and pulls Harry’s mouth to meet his.

 

Louis tumbles out of the club with his heart in his throat and an ache in his chest.

 

* * *

 

It starts raining between Louis leaving Bedlam and him managing to get back to his flat. Louis can’t help but feel a small sliver of satisfaction that even the weather is humoring his poor mood.

 

His mobile, which he’d stubbornly ignored the whole soggy walk home, starts ringing again while he’s in the lift. Louis pulls it out with a sigh and dismisses the call from Niall before looking at the other notifications on his phone. He has a few more missed calls from Niall, as well as some texts. In between the calls from Niall is a missed call from Harry and Louis’ finger hovers over the call button for a moment before the lift dings on his floor and he locks his phone instead.

 

He’ll call them both back later but right now he’s a little embarrassed and a lot miserable. After unlocking his front door he’s quick to shed his soaked jacket and shoes. Louis is just walking through his living room to go take a well deserved hot shower when a tapping on his living room window sends him nearly a foot in the air with a shriek.

 

When he realizes it’s Harry who’s on his fire escape looking like a very sad drowned cat he scowls and almost yanks the blinds shut on him. It’s only Harry’s truly pitiful expression that has Louis opening the window against his better judgement.

 

Harry trips over the sill as he climbs through and collapses on Louis’ floor with a wet squelch. Louis sniffs dismissively even as he’s turning to fish a towel for Harry out of the hall closet.

 

“What are you doing all the way over here dripping on my floor? Don’t you have better things to be doing?”

 

Harry takes the towel with a nervous but grateful smile after he picks himself up off the floor. He tries to pat his soggy (now completely transparent) shirt dry before apparently giving up and twisting his hair up in the towel instead.

 

“I wanted to come check on you, Lou,” Harry says earnestly. “I’m so sorry that it freaked you out and I should’ve known better. This is _exactly_ what I was afraid of wh-”

 

Louis snorts. “I wasn’t “freaked out”, Harold. Don’t flatter yourself.”

 

Harry’s earnest expression wilts a bit around the edges and he twists his fingers in the edges of the towel. “Oh, well….”

 

“I was jealous,” Louis admits because if you can’t confess your feelings to the person said feelings are for after they’ve climbed your fire escape in the rain then when can you admit them?

 

The last thing Louis is expecting is for Harry to lean in and kiss him. A gentle let down, sure. Harry getting up and leaving, probably. But the warm press of Harry’s lips against his own? Not in his wildest dreams.

 

Louis melts into the kiss, can’t help but do anything besides bring his arms up to twine around Harry’s neck and kiss back. Harry’s own hands come up to cup his jaw and Louis is suddenly reminded of Matt who had been kissing Harry not even an hour ago.

 

He pulls back abruptly, ignoring Harry’s whine of protest. “Hold on, what about Matt?”

 

“What about Matt?” Harry asks distractedly and leans forward to try and catch Louis’ lips again.

 

“Matt!” Louis insists, “I saw you kissing him at Bedlam!”

 

Harry huffs, “Technically, he kissed me and-” Harry hurries, obviously noticing the scowl working it’s way over Louis’ face,” _and_ it didn’t mean anything. To either of us. Sometimes it happens because of the, uh, endorphins that get released during a bite.”

 

“Well he needs to bloody well keep his endorphins to himself,” Louis grumps, more than a little petulantly. “And you! No more fanging about with people that can’t keep their shirts on.”

 

Harry just beams. This time, Louis lets himself be reeled in for more kisses.

 

“No more fanging about,” Harry murmurs against Louis’ mouth, “Just you, Lou.”

 

* * *

 

“Louis, we’re scrapping the documentary,” Liam says leaving Louis to gape at him from across his desk.

 

When Liam had called him up that morning, only a few short weeks after Harry had showed up at Louis’ apartment and only a few days since Niall and Louis had turned over all of their footage to the network, Louis had been expecting to talk about how they wanted to edit the project, not be told that it had been scrapped altogether.

 

At Louis horrified expression, Liam scrambles to clarify.

 

“Well, we’re scrapping the original idea, that is. The footage you gave us, it technically fulfills what we asked you for, originally, but some of the executives think that it would be much more effective if we put a different spin on it.”

 

Louis narrows his eyes, “What sort of spin are we talking about here, Liam.”

 

Liam fidgets with one of the pens on his desk and doesn’t quite manage to meet Louis’ eye when he mumbles his answer.

 

“Sorry, what?” Louis asks, sure that he’s misheard him.

 

“I said, they want to make it a love story. About you and Harry,” Liam groans.

 

“You’re joking.”

 

“I’m not! Look, Louis. You’re in a lot of the footage with Harry and it’s obvious from the beginning that there’s something between you two. After you got together, which yes, Niall told me about, it’s even more obvious.”

 

Louis shifts guiltily. It’s not that he hadn’t wanted to tell Liam that he and Harry had been seeing each other, it’s just that he’d thought it best to wait until the project had wrapped up.

 

“The original goal of the documentary was to make vampire’s seem more, well, human and what we want to do with the footage you gave us achieves that,” Liam explains, “What’s more human than a love story, Louis?”

 

Louis groans and buries his face in his hands, “You’re going to need more footage of the two of us together, aren’t you?”

 

Liam smiles apologetically, “And individual confessional style interviews, obviously.”

 

“Obviously,” Louis sighs. He rubs his face before lifting it from his hands. “I’d say I have to ask Hazza before I let you know but I already know what he’ll say. We’re in.”

 

“Brilliant!” Liam beams and pulls a file out of his desk to slide across to Louis. “Now, I’ve put together a list of things that we think we need for the final product…”

 

* * *

 

_6 months later…_

 

“I still can’t believe that’s the picture they decided to use for all of the posters,” Louis mutters as Chris Rock announces the documentary titles that have been nominated for Oscars that year.

 

“Don’t say that, Louis, I think it’s lovely,” Harry murmurs and squeezes his knee placatingly under their table. He would say that though. It’s not him that’s staring at Louis like some sort of love struck fool.

 

“Hush up,” Niall hisses from where he’s sitting on Louis’ other side. He’s been biting his nails since they found out they were nominated weeks ago and now that they’re actually at the awards he’s bricking it.

 

Liam, seated on the other side of Niall, gently pulls Niall’s hand away from his mouth and laces their fingers together. That had been the biggest surprise of all, finding out that all of Niall’s “hot dates” had been with Liam but the more Louis saw the two of them together, the more he got it. Niall helped pull Liam out of his shell and kept him from taking himself too seriously. Liam gave Niall a sense of security and helped ground him in reality. They fit together nearly as well as Harry and Louis did, not that Louis was going to tell them that.

 

“Either way,” Harry continued to whisper, despite Niall’s admonishment, “I think we’ve already won in the way that counts, don’t you?”

 

“Cheesy,” Louis murmured, unable to help the smile splitting his face as he leaned in to catch Harry’s lips in a quick kiss. He was an Oscar nominated documenter, surrounded by his friends and the best boyfriend he could have asked for. In Louis’ opinion, he was winning ever day, Oscar or no Oscar.

 

_“And the Oscar Award for best documentary this year is…”_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to everyone that helped support me in this! You know who you are <3 I hope everyone enjoys this! Thanks OP for the lovely prompt, I hope it's what you wanted :D
> 
> Also, the shot glass of Harry's with the monkey is a real shot glass and you can find a picture here (slightly NSFW so click at your own risk): http://www.rvgoddess.com/POSTCARDS/2010/Deja/Photos/March/033010-09.jpg


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